Improved sviode of mounting ordnance



lnals are secured firmly to the side of the batgtery-one above and the otherbelow the port Tries. y'

cans. r. BROWN, or WARREN, nacion ISLAND.

IMPROVED MODE OF MUNTENQ ORDNANCE..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. Eflg, dntedJuly i7, 1855.

To allzu/vom, it may concern.-

Be it known that'I, CHARLES F. BROWN, of Yv'arren, in' the county of Bristol and State of Rhode Island, have invented anew and useful Improvementin Ordnance; and I do hereby declare that thei'ollowing is a full, clear,` and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- ,Figurel isaside view of a gun mounted according to lmy invention, the carriage being shown in section. Fig. Zis aplanof the saine with the carriage in section.

x Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts-in both figures.

This invention relates to the construction of carriages for and method of mounting cannons and other ordnance in ships, forts, and land and floating batteries. lts object is to close, as nearly as possible, the ports or embrasures all around vthe piece, so as to prevent the entrance of an enemys shot or other proiectiles, and also to prevent the smoke being driven back in suicient quantities to incou venience the gunners and their attendants, but at the same time to allow the direction of the piece to be varied to the same extent as it can be when mounted in the usual 'way upon carriages. of the usual construction.l

The carriage of the gun consists of afi ame, A, of cast-iron or other metal, made externally of spherical, spheroidal, or cylindrical form,

or of any other form partaking of the character of those. It is provided with two pivots or journals, a a, to forni a vertical axis, upon which it is capable .of turning within the port or embrasure E in the side of the battery B,

said port or embrasure being of such form that he carriage A closes it, but turns easily there- The bearings if b for the pivots or jour- 'or embrasure. i The gun D passes through an opening, .0, in the carriage A, and its trun- Vnions g g restinhorizontal bearings, so made in the sides of the said opening that their axis intersects the axis of the carriage, and stands at right angles to the center of the opening c, which opening` should beof such form as to al- 10WV the angle of the gun to'be varied in aver- .charge of the gun takes place.

beinserted in the carriage from behind, snit-A tical direction as much as may be desired,to suit the altitude and distance of the object to be aimed at. rlhis openingi may have a suitable space in the form of a narrow slit in the upper part, through whichto take the sights; but otherwise the central part of it may lit almost closely round the piece. 'Springs d d should be appliedin suitable cavities in rear of the trunnions, 'as shown in Fig..2, to rcceive the force of the recoil when thel .The gun is to able slots being made leading from lthe back of the opening c to allow the trunnions to slide into their bearings. These slots'alsc serve to receive the springs d d, which are confined in their places by stopping up theA backs of the slots with plugs e e, which require to be firmly secured by keying, bolting, or other means.

Below the opening c there is 'a tail-piece, m, attached rigidly to-'or cast with 'the car riage A, to receive the screw f, by which the breech of the gun is raised and lowered to. vvary the angle-of the gun vertically.

Those parts of the sides .or walls of the battery snr.- rounding the port o'r embrasure-should. be no thicker than is necessary for a proper degree `of strength, as too great a thickness would too much limit the horizontal swinging movement of the gun, so that .it will b eywell to construct those parts of plates' of wroughtiron, which may be of suiiicientthickness to be shot-proof without interfering withthe working of the gun, which may have a wider range than a gun mounted in any other way.

Although the carriage A may be of cylindrical or any 'other circular form, it is prei'- erable to make it spherical or spheijoidal, as

that form will enable Ait to deiiect a ball or projectile striking it at .almost any point.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to, secure by Letters Patent, is-

Mounting a cannon or any other piece of ordnance, substantially as herein described, in

a carriage, A, of spherical, spheroidal, or

other circular form externally, which carriage is yarranged to close the port or einbrasure through which the piece works, but to -tu'rn freelytherein in a horizontal Vor nearly hori- `ceive the gun and to allow it the ecessary ontal direction, and which has anopening, c, within it of suitable size and form to revertical direction is maintained. v upward and downward swinging m vement; CHARLES F. BROWN. on-its trunnions, whereby an ecient protec- Witnesses: tion is aorded against; the entrano@ of v:am Alumno Boswolz'rle, enemys shots or other "projectiles, .and vthe G. W. CARB.

mme time a desirable range in a ltexal and smoke of taneA discharge is excluded, and at the A l 

